Advice for changing birth location at 37 wks :(

[Septbaby]

Hi all

Am 37 weeks and been told yesterday that I now can't have baby at MLU, but have to go into hospital, as it's been advised by a registrar my midwife has said she can't go against their advice. So after spending most of the afternoon and evening crying I thought I better get myself as prepared as I can for this change if it's something I now have to roll with.

I'm going to speak to the hospital today to try and arrange some sort of look around urgently as we don't even know where we are going, but can anyone else suggest anything I need to know/do/prep/ask about now this massive part of my birth plan had changed?

Thanks everyone xx

Ask about how you can make the room feel more like the mlu. In my hospital they said they'd bring birthing balls in, lower lights etc and do what they could to make it feel less hospital-like. Also some of the rooms had large baths/pools for pain relief.

As for other more practical things I'm not sure what you need to ask but other more helpful people will.

That must be really disappointing but hopefully what I assume are the main parts of your birth plan (staying active, delivering upright?) will still be able to happen. Write these down and make sure the kind of birth you want is discussed with your care team when you go in. Is the birth centre part of the hospital you now have to deliver in? It is for me and I know that because of this the midwives know what mothers who want/come from from the MLU were hoping for and do try and give it to them. So, they move the bed, give you the equipment they can, etc. We've also been told we can take things in to make it less hospital-y: your own pillow, clothes so you don't have to wear a gown, lights to create the right atmosphere, music, blankets to lie on...

I'm hoping to use the birth centre at my hospital, but I know the reality is for one of many reasons (induction or pain relief for example) I might end up on the labour ward. I'm much less worried about this after a couple of visits there for monitoring; I thought it was be a terrifying, medicalised environment but actually although yes, it was a more hospital-y space, it was still nice, spacious and private and the midwives were absolutely lovely. So I would certainly try to pop in for a visit and get your head around where you're going to be.

And at least you know now and have a few weeks to get used to it rather than having to be induced at 41 weeks and everything changing : )

Hope it all goes well.

I had to fight to get a MLU birth and nearly had it taken away at 37 weeks. Is there any changes you can make to change their mind? I had to have an iron infusion and agreed to go straight to the consultant led unit if complications arose. Had a perfectly normal birth and it was fine.

Why have you been told this?

FWIW I have given birth on the CLU, while being treated as though I was on the MLU. It was a compromise suggested by the midwife and it worked very well.

For another birth I wanted to be signed off for home birth, but the consultant refused and was insisting that I come into hospital. It was my third after two normal SVD birthings, I was 37w and very upset. I talked to the senior midwife and she talked the consultant round. I was not in the room with them, so I don't know what she said, but I was signed off forHB.

Hi septbaby Your post could easily have been me when we had our DD. I really wanted the MLU but was told at 38 weeks this just wasn't going to happen. Went home and cried all weekend! In the end there were bigger goings 'afoot' when DD was born so I wouldn't have had a choice anyway but I have to say the midwives and Drs on Delivery suite where I was we're fantastic!

I know at my NCT classes we were very much fed a model of MLU is good, delivery suite is not so nice and should be avoided! When we had DD I mentioned this to the midwives and they all said that when ladies are transferred there from the MLU they generally have to spend the first hour calming them down!

With DD we did require an induction and I did have an epidural but that was for medical reasons. Apart from that I was allowed to move round, change position and delivered as I wanted to without intervention, a Dr was present (unusual circumstances) but didn't get at all involved and left me and the midwives to it.

Our second baby is due on Sept 13th, I am being induced again and going to delivery suite. The same midwife who delivered DD on hearing we were coming in has requested to work that weekend so she can deliver us again. I have no qualms about going to Delivery suite and am really happy to be there. iIts a really safe place to have your baby and at the end of the day all any midwife wants is for you to have as safe and natural delivery as possible and they will do all they can to make this happen regardless of the sign over the door. (Sorry for the long post!) x

It's to do with an increased BMI (which is a whole other rant in another thread somewhere on here) and their main concern is shoulder dystopia (sp?!) which is really frustrating as growth chart is exactly on average, I've just put on a bit more weight than we all would have liked. Conveniently most of the consultants appear to be on holiday so limited as to who I can speak to, and tbh I've almost run out of steam for the fight I know will be inevitable if I pursue, I am however going to write to the clinical lead mw to raise a number of issues I have with my treatment over last couple of weeks... So I just thought I best get prepared for what's about to happen.

Thank you for the tips above , the MLU I was hoping to be at is part of the same trust as this hospital, and I've got a very clear bucket point birth plan on the front of my notes so I'm hoping this will help and I've said to husb he may need to be more forthright with speaking for me than was going to be necessary at the MLU. It's just hard as I got myself mentally prepared, know the rooms, know the midwives etc and now it's all change. I'm sure it'll all be worth it in the end when this little squirmer is out in the world. Also am able to transfer to the MLU afterwards for a couple of days post labour care which is a ray of light in the horizon at least.

I've done both - have to say there's not masses of difference except I was left alone more at the MLU, but that could also be because it was my second time. Delivery unit was very similar, just a bit closer to the operating theatre, which was handy at the time. There was some talk of not letting me use the MLU this time as I've had previous heart problems and I think I would rather have started in delivery than transfer from MLU half way through. Midwives in Delivery unit were happy to turn down the lights and leave me to get on with it too.

It was shoulder dystocia with me, too.

Nothing to do with my weight gain. I have been obese with all my pregnancies (finally lost the weight - yay!) yet have never had my weight gain monitored. Scans were predicting a 10lb-er and consultant was using deliberately frightening language. But I had already birthed two big babies, 8lb+ and 9lb+, with no interventions, and saw no reason why I should assume any difficulties with this one. If anything, being in my preferred location should help me to relax and deliver more easily.

In the end I gave birth to my 11lb baby in water, as I had hoped, easily, quickly, gently, with no intervention and no damage to either of us.

I think the attitude about clu is quite missplaced. On the whole they treat you exactly the same as mlu would, unless a complication arises, if they dont already have them in the rooms they will normally bring in birthing balls, etc, on request. The rooms do have a slightly more clinical look, although in the hospitals ive been to the different is minimal.

I think a lot of the attitude about clu seems to come from the positives of mlu being pushed, as thats where hospitals want you to give birth if possible as its a lot cheaper than consultant led. In reality there is very very little difference, other than if complications arise they can deal with them faster on clu.

Ask what they have at the CLU. I am intrigued by people having had decisions made already - at my hospital its decided 34-6 weeks!
My CLU has 2 pools, balls, beanbags and dim lights. Basically the main issue is so many more women use it,you might not get the pools as they'd be in use. Also some MW are less confident with them which might mean they keep a v close eye. I'm almost 36 weeks and having my place of birth confirmed by my consultant/the MLU tomorrow.

I was most reassured when I found out CLU didn't mean 70s style wards anymore (well not at my hospital thankfully).